A Game of Hearts
by TheNextAlice
Summary: Alice Kirkland is the Queen of her school. But because she doesn't believe in love, many hearts have been broken. So, six boys start up a game between themselves: whoever wins the Queen's heart is the winner and receives 100 dollars in cash. But Alice has a secret: she's really an Arthur! What will happen when someone finds out?
1. Chapter 1

A Game of Hearts.

Chapter 1: Let the Game begin!

A/N: Buenos noches/día/whatever time it is where you are. This is Alice, writing a story about… Alice. Well. Arthur, really. And no, that wasn't a spoiler, because it's in the summary. So nyah *pokes tongue out*. Anyway, I know I should be writing my other stories (here and in The Bright Pink Notebook), but… This is just so easy and fun I can't help it. I hope it's good~

I don't know how to make a line thing, so have a barrier instead, yeah?

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Alice Kirkland was Queen of her school. There was no disputing the fact. Kind, pretty, sweet, smart and well-liked by everyone - students and staff alike -, her seemingly only flaws were her quick temper and bushy eyebrows, and even those only aided her endearment.

However. There was _something _about her that was completely different to everybody else: Alice did not believe in love, and therefore rejected the many, many declarations of love she received on a daily basis (some people just didn't seem to get the message!), leaving numerous broken hearts in her wake. This had earned her the status 'Untouchable', yet had increased her popularity, the complete opposite effect to which the creators of the title (jealous, less popular girls) had hoped for.

Yes, Alice Kirkland was the Untouchable Queen of Romulus H. Vargas High School. And she wouldn't want it any other way. For you see, Alice had a secret, a secret so big, there was no way anybody could ever be allowed to know it…

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"So, I've called this meeting because I've come up with a great game!" Alfred F. Jones announced proudly to the five teenage boys sitting on various pieces of furniture in front of him.

"A game? Rike a videogame, Arfred-san?" A Japanese exchange student named Kiku Honda asked politely, his dark brown eyes showing a spark of interest. _The games Arfred-san prays are arways pretty good. Onry he cries after if they're scary and we have to pray Barney-san the dinosaur…_

"No, an actual game in reality. Like, hide-and-seek, only better! We're going to start a competition between ourselves!" there was a pause as the excited boy waited for his statement to sink in. The silence continued for far longer than he expected, until a Hispanic boy smiled lazily, dark green eyes glinting anticipation of new entertainment.  
"I'll bite, _amigo. _ What is this game you want to play?"

Alfred grinned happily, wire-rimmed glasses glinting as he stepped up onto a table, deeming it a hero-worthy place to deliver news from. "Whoever steals the Queen's heart wins!"

There was an even longer silence after THAT. Then a laugh from an older teen as he flicked back his wavy blonde hair, crossing his legs as he leant back in his chosen place of rest, otherwise known as the teacher's swivel chair.

"Ohonononon~ zat is nigh impossible, _mon chéri._ The Queen will not fall for anyone, not even someone of great passion and beauty such as me."

"And that's why it'll be fun! Not to mention, as an added prize...!" A small bag was produced from the bespectacled one's trousers pocket and upended onto the floor. Out spilled five twenty-dollar notes, floating gently to rest on the carpet. "One hundred dollars, courtesy of the student council treasury."

A decidedly feminine Chinese boy frowned at the plastic green rectangles laying innocently before the greedy eyes of the occupants of the room. "Alfred! That's not your money, aru!" he scolded. Being the student council treasurer, he had the right to complain at least.

"Hah! I'm the President! That means **everything** is mine!" sitting down on the desk, Alfred shot a 'don't argue' look at the Oriental. "And besides, it'll be yours if you win it, Yao. Then you can put it back in the piggy bank, if your conscience disturbs you that much."

Yao hmmph-ed but closed his mouth, accepting a consoling pat on the pat from the massively tall male beside him. _So that was why Shinatty-chan the piggy bank was looking so sad and empty this morning, aru..!_

"So? So! Will you guys play? Pleaaaaaaase?" The all-American President pleaded, discreetly scooping up the (Student Council) money back into the bag.

It seemed today was a day for long silences and deadpan stares.

"Da. I'll play." The first to agree was the massively tall Russian. He fiddled with the pale lilac scarf around his neck, avoiding eye contact with Yao, who gave him a look of disbelief.

"Okay. If Ivan agrees, I will play too. But only to get back the money you took, aru!"

"Great! What about everyone else? C'mon!" Alfred's blue eyes got bigger behind his glasses and he pouted slightly, resulting in a cute puppy-dog face. _Please please please it'll be so much fun! _His face read.

"_Si. _I'm up for it. It's much better than that jelly fight you wanted yesterday." The Spanish boy shrugged, glad to have escaped the prospect of another barrage of food in his soft curly hair. Jelly was a pain to wash out; it got squishy and stuck for days. Especially the green jelly. That colour seemed to stick around for far longer than any of the other colours.

"Ohononon~ I'm up for ze challenge of charming our lovely Queen." The longer haired Frenchie blonde agreed, producing a red rose from seemingly nowhere.

"Righteous, brothers! Since Antonio and Francis are in, that just leaves you, Kiku." Alfred grabbed the Japanese student by the shoulders and stared into his eyes, blue orbs meeting dark brown ones. Immediately Kiku shoved the blonde away, and then looked ashamed.

"Gomenasai, but personar space, Arfred-san. Hai, I wirr pray your game." He nodded.

"Yay! Everyone agrees! The Game starts Monday, and you can only use the classes you have with the Queen to charm her. Unless you invite her on a date or something. Game on, everyone! America for the win!" Alfred threw his arms into the air in triumph, his brown non-uniform bomber jacket creasing slightly as he did.

"Victory for Spain!" Antonio declared, followed by a smirk and an exclamation of "Non, France will win. We have ze city of love, remember~?" from Francis. The two best friends turned to each other and hi-fived, a silent challenge communicating between them. Francis and Antonio were part of a group of an exclusive group of three dubbed the 'Bad Touch Trio', notorious for their romantic exploits. (Their third member, an albino Prussian by the name of Gilbert Beilshmidt, was away sick.)

"I will win, and Alice Kirkland will become one with Mother Russia." Ivan Braginski murmured, his Russian accent thickening his sentence. _Then I can give the money to Yao, and he won't be upset anymore._

"The samurai way wirr prevair." Kiku said quietly, the competitive spirit breaching even his usual cool and calm demeanour. Only Yao remained silent, fiddling with his long, silky black hair, which was pulled back into its regular ponytail. _I don't really want the Queen to fall in love with me. If only Alfred was less selfish and bored… How troublesome this is, aru!_

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The bell rang, its loud clanging as sweet as the songs of angels to the students eagerly awaiting release from their prison of education. Their wardens dismissed them, and whooping with the feeling of freedom only Friday can provide, the teenagers hurriedly gathered their belongings from their lockers and flooded out of school, as if they would be forced to stay if they didn't leave as soon as humanly possible.

Alice Kirkland patiently stood just outside the school gates, leaning slightly against the strong steel bars and returning greetings to several passersby as she waited for her cousins to exit. _They should really repaint the gates, _she thought, idly picking at the flaking white paint so that the dull silver showed through. _Then again, the President doesn't seem to really care about the real issues of our school. The only reason he was voted for was because the other choices were either a controlling, short-tempered Nazi, or a lazy, whining Italian who promised to serve pasta every day for lunch. I would have run for the position, but being President takes up too much time. I already have to look after Peter, and now that Jack and Kylie have moved next door, they're over almost every day, the house is never empty. Or quiet. And I don't really want to be President._

"G'day, cuz! How goes it?" a boisterous male Australian voice interrupted Alice's thoughts, and she turned around to find the very two cousins she had been thinking about.

Jack and Kylie Kirkland stood side by side, the former proudly sporting an adhesive bandage on his nose - the price he paid for being the star captain of the school's AFL football team - while the latter beamed up at her brother, colourful paint streaking and dotting her skin and clothes.

"I am fine, thank you very much. Where is Peter?" Alice replied, noticing her younger brother wasn't with them. This was odd, as Peter usually rushed over from the Primary school next door to Kylie's locker and then looked for the older two.

Kylie shrugged. The action caused her brunette side-ponytail to bounce on her shoulder. "I didn't see him when I was grabbing my stuff, and Jack found me, so we decided to wait for him out here. Oh, and we need to wait for Linda, because she's sleeping over."

No sooner than the words came out of her mouth, the trio noticed a very short girl racing over to them, a blonde boy lagging behind her. He may have been taller, but his young face betrayed the fact he was younger.

"I'm here! And I found Peter!" she announced breathlessly, glasses perched askew and short chocolate curls flying as she fought to regain her breath. A slight Spanish accent gave her words a sing-song quality. Linda Santiago Hernandez was the smallest person in the whole of the high school, but she made up for it with her big personality and energy. She was also Kylie's best friend.

"Hey, lil' mate. I'll carry your bag, it looks heavy." Jack ruffled Linda's tufted ringlets before taking her backpack, easily swinging it over his broad shoulder. The Mickey Mouse bag was packed fit to burst, and Alice could have sworn she saw the zipper straining to stay closed. She also swore that every time Linda was around, Jack found a way to pat her head, or carry her bag, or carry her. It was obvious he had a crush on the Salvadorian girl, but she wasn't sure how long it was going to last, or what would become of it.

"Sorry I'm late, Ms *Hungary* made me stay in for a few minutes after class." Peter said, avoiding eye contact with Alice, who tried to ignore it. He had the same English accent as his sister. By now, most of the other students had left, but a few still lingered on the grounds, waiting for parents or just freely conversing.

"That's alright, Peter. Let's go home, shall we?" Alice suggested. After a few comments of general agreement, the group of five moved off in a straggling pack down the path away from school.

Home was only a few minutes away. As soon as their place of abode was reached, the Australians (and accompanying Salvadorian) said their farewells and turned into the house next door to Alice's and Peter's. The remaining Kirklands entered their own house, and after locking the door behind them, went their separate ways - Peter the kitchen, Alice her room. The house was strangely quiet without anyone else around; it had only been two weeks since their youngest older brother Aleck had moved out to be closer to the University he attended, and it was rare that the Australians weren't over to kick up a ruckus. Their other older siblings had moved out quite a while ago, so Alice and Peter were used to having each others company and spending time with another. _Maybe that's why he's so disappointed…_

The English girl sighed again and flopped on her bed, throwing her large handbag onto the floor beside her. (She was using it as a schoolbag, so the books inside made it quite heavy.) Feeling a familiar itch on her scalp, she sat up again and reached over to the full-length mirror by her bed and pulled it so that it stood in front of the double bed. Scooping up multiple face wipes from the surface of the chest of drawers on the other side of the bed and pulling off her glasses, Alice sat back down on her bed, scrubbing at the makeup on her forehead until it felt completely clean and natural. Then, reaching back into her beautiful long blonde hair, Alice pulled out the hair ties holding her shiny tresses into twin ponytails, undid hair clips and slid out bobby pins, until her hair was successfully down. Finally, she unbuttoned her skirt and slid it down, revealing a pair of shorts (because who goes to school in a skirt without shorts on underneath, especially a school with Francis Bonnefoy in it…) and slid her shirt over her head, then her singlet.

Alice Kirkland looked into the mirror.

Arthur Kirkland looked back.

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A/N: That's right~ Alice is actually an Arthur. But you knew that already.

To my readers of other stories (or story), yes, I wrote this when I should have been writing _that._ I admit it. Scold me, you have every right.

But I'm not super sorry. Just a little bit.

OKAY! *cue Channel Seven News Bulletin music* About the pairings… I want you to vote for them! I'm an avid fan of Spam-in-a-can (Spamano), Us-you-okay (USUK), Roach- chew (RoChu, I think it's called? Whatever. China and Russia) and I also like Prunes-in-a-can (PruCan), Fran-can-can (FruCan)… ohhh wait, I haven't introduced Canada yet. I doubt he'll be a mainie though. Probably just a sidey, like Oz and Wy. Anyway, who do YOU think Artie should end up with? Who should discover his secret? His first date? First kiss? Well? It's up to you! VOTE NOW! (^U^)

Who, long-ish author's note… Waaah there's soooo much stuff to do… (TT^TT) Whyyyy am I writing another story..? (I'm an idiot, that's why… *sigh*) Okay. I'm off to finish Toradora. Only four episodes to go!

_Adios_~

P.S. Linda is not going to be a mainie, so OC haters, don't you worry. She's just like, a guest star from another story I'm writing about a few countries not mentioned in Hetalia… She's El Salvador. And Aleck (mentioned once as an older brother of Arthur and Peter) is also from that. He is Scotland. I'll be trying to squish in as many cameos and mentions of other countries as possible.

Okay, real _adios_ now~


	2. Chapter 2

A Game of Hearts!

Chapter 2: Picture perfect promises

_A small boy of about five happily ran around on a grassy oval, chasing around a worn-out soccer ball, not caring where he kicked it just so long as it moved._

"_Mumsy! Look, look!" he called, his soprano voice rising to be heard by the woman lying on a picnic blanket._

"_Mumsy sees, Arthur darling! Wonderful job!" she called back, absentmindedly rubbing her swollen belly with one hand while picking a daisy with the other. Not satisfied with her response, Arthur picked up his ball and ran to his mother, flinging himself onto the tartan rug next to her._

"_It's more fun when Aleck and Dylan and Brian everyone are here to play with me." he pouted, "Although Dylan usually plays pretend he's a sheep and head-butts the ball even when its on the ground."_

_Arthur's mother laughed, threading the last daisy into the chain she had been working on, thin fingers carefully tugging at the delicate flowers. To her son, her laugh sounded like the tinkling of fairy bells._

"_I'm sure you miss your brothers' company, but they have schoolwork to do and people to see." she said gently, patting Arthur's golden halo of hair. "And besides, soon, maybe you'll have a little sister to play with."_

_Little Arthur crossed his arms. "I don't want a sister!" he proclaimed, "Girls don't like soccer and tackling. They like tea parties and dolls. I don't like those things."_

_The pregnant woman laughed again, this time a softer, secretive sort of chuckle. "I didn't raise you to be a liar, my son. I know you like tea parties and dolls. "_

_An angry and confused blush flooded the child's pale cheeks. "Not true..! I'm not a girl!" he protested feebly, grabbing his mother's slender arm._

_A sad smile graced the woman's lips. "There's nothing wrong with liking dolls, Arthur darling. It doesn't make you a girl. Don't let Aleck's teasing get to you." she pulled her youngest son closer, placing the daisy chain atop his head, which was such a similar colour to hers. It stayed there, a thick crown of the same green as the boy's eyes, dotted here and there with white daisies._

"_Mumsy? Why are you always so tired?" Arthur's wide emerald eyes were full of worry as he gazed up at his mother, tiny tears gathering at the corners as he pondered the possibilities of his beloved Mumsy's exhaustion. The woman sighed, lying down flat on her back once more and staring at the fluffy white clouds drifting by._

"_That's just what happens when Mumsy is ready to have a baby, darling. You'll have to look after your little sister or brother after they're born, because I shall be sleeping a lot, alright?"_

_Five-year-old hands curiously patted at her stomach through white cotton, resulting in a gentle kick towards them._

"_I'll look after them. I promise, Mumsy." Arthur said seriously, his level of sincerity (and his eyebrows) matching that of someone five times his age._

"_Good. I shall hold you to that promise, my son." even though he couldn't see her face from his place beside her stomach, the small boy knew his mother was smiling, and smiled himself._

_Arthur loved his Mumsy._

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"-hur?" The voice floated into hearing, muffled by the dampeners of sleep.

"-rthur!" Louder this time.

"ARTHUR KIRKLAND! WAKE UP OR I'LL WEAR YOUR WIG TO YOUR SCHOOL AND PRETEND TO BE YOU!"

Arthur opened his eyes from a lovely dream about his deceased Mumsy to find his little brother sitting on his stomach, clumsily holding up one of his _very expensive _wigs _custom-made for his hair colour and head_, yelling at him to wake up. Needless to say, the Brit was not amused.

"You little brat! Give that back! Do you know how much it is worth?" the teen almost shrieked. Peter smirked.

"Yes. Time to get up, big brother." with a carefree laugh, the young boy jumped off the bed and ran out, the long hair of the wig streaming out behind him.

Arthur sighed and sat up, rubbing at his eyes to remove the sleep from them. Even though one of his most precious possessions was at risk of being roughly manhandled, he was secretly glad his brother was smiling again, instead of looking upset over Arthur's sudden increase in workload and decrease in time to spend with him.

After retrieving wigs, applying make-up, eating breakfast and going through the other tedious rituals and chores that on goes through preparing for school, the Kirklands grabbed their schoolbags, locked up their house and turned out onto the footpath that would eventually lead them to their places of learning. Their Australian cousins were already waiting for them, belting out a rousing chorus of 'Land Down Under' to the mostly empty street.

"_Can you hear the sound of thunder? You better run, you_- G'day, Poms!" Jack presented everyone a thumb up, and then lifted Peter up to sit on his shoulders, schoolbag and all. The young boy squealed in surprise, happily clasping his cousin's hands to keep his balance.

Arthur - now Alice - rolled his eyes, tugging at one of his ponytails. They had to be the same height, but one just refused to go any higher this morning.

"You look totally fine, A. Leave your hair alone or it won't be art anymore." Kylie scolded, smacking his hand away from his head.

"And now..! Our next song will be..!" Australia announced grandly, pausing for dramatic effect.

"Oh! Earthquake, pick Earthquake, pleeeease!" Peter pleaded enthusiastically, wriggling about on the brunette male's shoulders.

"The young man up there says Earthquake! Who's ready to rap? Ahem… _Labyrinth. Come in."_

There was a fair amount of noise generated as the younger siblings attempted to imitate the techno background music, getting totally out of time but having fun as they went, yelling out 'do's and 'dit's to their hearts content. Arthur was surprised Neighbourhood Watch hadn't come out and tackled them to the ground yet, but he was enjoying himself. Even if Jack _did_ always make him rap the Tiny Tempah part.

The foursome arrived at Romulus H. Vargas High School, Kylie turning into the Primary School to drop Peter off, while the older two headed into the High School and went their separate ways.

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"Guess what everyone~ babies!" Mr Vargas exclaimed brightly, spreading his arms out and spinning around, as if he were Maria in _The Sound of Music. _ It didn't matter that he was a grown man and a Year 11 Child Studies teacher; he was also the principal, which entitled him to behave in any manner he pleased. Which seemed to include the manner of singing Austrian nuns.

The class reacted with enthusiasm, smiling and laughing and calling out until he quieted them.

"By babies, I mean the dolls. You know, those ones that look Asian and have a recorder in them?" he clarified, holding up said object, "You're going to look after them. Even though having a real baby is totally different. Yes, with a real baby, there are many more dangers and responsibilities. Such as danger of suffocation, overheating…and under heating. Write that down, guys."

Sitting at one of the desks at the front, Arthur did indeed write those dangers down. At least until a certain blonde teen sitting next to him called out obnoxiously.

"Why can't we have American babies?"

"Because then they would be the fattest babies and too heavy to carry, you git." Arthur mumbled under his breath, not loudly enough for the American to hear.

You see, Arthur wasn't in a cheerful mood anymore. He had arrived at his Child Studies class to find an American boy by the name of Alfred Jones occupying the other side of the two seater table Arthur usually sat at. And when Arthur had made to sit elsewhere, Alfred had called out and practically forced the Brit to sit with him out of polite behaviour.

Arthur had no real problem with Alfred, and had been introduced to him by Jack as "the Yankee", as the two were both in various sporting teams together, despite their different year levels. But there was something about him that just grated on Arthur's nerves.

_Maybe it's because he's always bringing mass quantities of junk food into class? Or because he's always going on about heroics and his presidency. Or because from since we were introduced,, he's been pestering me. Or maybe it's-_

"Alice! Don't you agree an American baby would be cuter than an Asian one?" Alfred's obnoxious question brought Arthur back to reality, and he instinctively frowned his massive eyebrows at him.

"Don't be such a fop. Asian babies are easily as cute as American babies." he snapped, crossing his arms.

"Guys. Shut up. I'm trying to speak." Mr Vargas's previously chipper personality vanished as he glared at the two students in the front row. Simultaneously, they closed their mouths and gave their full attention to the angry teacher before them. "Thank you. Now, as I was going to say, before I was so rudely interrupted by our Student Council President babbling on about American babies - which I'm _sure_ he'll be making soon if not already -, you'll be receiving these plastic children in a week. You have that long to acquire the necessary items on this list-" he held up a piece of paper, "-and arrange your time with the baby between your partners."

"Hey, Mr Vargas?" as one, the class turned their heads to see who had spoken up and dare face the wrath of the principal. Not surprisingly, it was Gilbert Beilshmidt, who often didn't know when to close his mouth. "Do we get to choose our partners?"

The class waited for a downpour of rage.

"No~ you're pairing in table groups!" the seemingly bipolar man sang joyously, smiling down at his students. "And no running away!"

_TABLE GROUPS! That means I'm with..! I'm with..!_

"Looks like I'm the father of your child, Alice!" Alfred's heroic grin grew wider, his bright blue eyes looking straight at Arthur's emerald ones, both from behind his glasses.

A small sound escaped the cross dresser's mouth, a hybrid of an irritated sigh and a harrumph of disgust at what Alfred's sentence implied. All around the classroom were sounds of surprise, unhappiness and rarely, gladness.

Gilbert quickly scribbled his and his desk mate's name onto a piece of paper going around the room, and then pulled the shy boy beside him into a hug. "Birdie~ you can be the mummy, and I'll be the daddy!" he cooed to Matthew Williams, smirking sharply.

"Hands off my brother, albino!" Alfred turned around and yelled, only to be ignored as the Prussian began playfully pulling on the American's Canadian twin's hair.

The classroom descended into uncensored chaos that lasted until lunch. Somehow, all the partners in the class managed to write their names on the piece of paper, and receive their list of needed inventory before rushing out of the room to lunch.

_Gaaah! The father of my child! How dare he imply such a thing! _Arthur grumbled to himself as he rushed to his locker, barely noticing greetings and smiles in his state of inner turmoil. Alfred, on the other hand…

"Haha! I'm totally gonna win this competition, Mattie dude! I set it up so we're parents of the doll!" the blonde crowed, strolling down the hall, his arm flung around his younger twin brother. Matthew looked uncomfortable.

"I don't think you should treat this as a game, Al. For one, she's a girl, and you shouldn't treat girls as toys. But she's also the Queen, so if you do something really bad, everyone will hate you." his voice was soft and gentle, a stark contrast to Alfred's loud one.

"No way, brother! I'm the President, which makes me the hero! And everyone loves the hero!" Alfred's smile turned devilish, "Especially princesses. Or in this case, Queens."

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A/N:  Mumsy is Great Britannia. I think. She's preggers with Sealand. Brian is one of the Irelands. Don't ask me which; aren't there like, three? And I imagine Sealand to be like, Year 5, which is about 10 or 11 years old. So first up in making a move of sorts is America. Because he's the hero and that's how heroes roll.

Anyway, thank you all for your suggestions and thoughts, my lovelies. At the moment, we have supporters of Spamano, USUK, Spangland (I don't know the real shipping name), PruCan, FrUK, RusAme, and RoChu… I don't know what AsaKiku is. But whoa! I'll try. Your reviews make me so happy! I read them at school and they make me smile~ and I want to smile as much as I can, because at the moment, I'm sick

So yeah. Review and vote please. And Australia WILL win the Olympics! You can bet on it! We come from the Land Down Under! *starts singing the song (by Men at Work) then coughs loudly because she is sick*


	3. Chapter 3

A Game of Hearts

Chapter 3: News from the Canadian spy

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After retrieving his lunch from his stylish bag in his locker, Arthur made his way to the cafeteria, planning to eat there in silence and seethe about the unfairness of the world. However, it was not to be.

"Hey, like, Alice! Come and sit with me and Toris outside, it's a totally perfect day!" A blonde girl commanded, her barely-there hips swaying with her valley girl accent. Next to her, a tall brunette boy - the aforementioned Toris - gave Arthur a weak smile. He was carrying two lunch trays.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather-"

"No excuses! We're going." grabbing Arthur's arm, the girl dragged the cross dresser backwards, effectively cutting off any of his arguments by instilling the need to make sure he wasn't falling. The trio arrived outside, where Arthur was not-so-gently flung onto the grass by the blonde, who flung herself down beside him.

"C'mon, Toris, sit!" she patted the grass beside her, and Toris obediently sat, placing one of the lunch trays before her.

"What was that for?" Arthur asked, slightly annoyed, yet enjoying the sun and fresh air all the same.

"Like, the cafeteria was totally stuffy, and I wanted to go outside, and you looked angry, so I thought, like, we could all go together." was the explanation given before the one explaining tucked into their food.

Arthur sighed a little and unscrewed the lid of his thermos and poured the Darjeeling tea within out into the china cup he had brought from home. "I suppose, Feliks, but you could have asked instead of just pulling me here."

Feliks Lukasiewicz waved a hand dismissively. His nails were painted a Wicked Hipster Pink.

Yes. _His._

Feliks was a boy's name, and Feliks was a boy. (You see, Arthur wasn't the only cross dresser in the school. Thankfully most students didn't realise that Feliks was indeed a male name though. He kept this up by advertising the fact that he was Polish and no-one else was, therefore no-one could challenge him on the matter of Polish things and Polish names in particular.)

Arthur and Feliks were friends of a special type. The type known as 'you-keep-my-secret-and-I'll-keep-yours'. And yet, even though they were acquaintances from necessity, the two - well, three, if you counted Toris Lorinaitis - had found themselves growing to be friends. Proper friends, who went out shopping for dresses and nail polish in matching Wicked Hipster Pink.

"So, so! I was, like, shopping for belts, in, you know, _that store,_" Feliks had begun prattling on again about his various shopping adventures (or misadventures, depending on what happened). Arthur nodded absentmindedly, pulling out his homemade scones and a pot of jam. The store the Pole was alluding to was the place they had met, and discovered each other's secret identity by accidentally going into the wrong change rooms. Coincidence or bad luck, it didn't make a smidge of difference now.

"And I saw this absolutely gorgeous strappy number! So I, like, bought it on your credit card, Toris. I hope you don't mind."

The quiet brunette opened his mouth as if to say something, then changed his mind and closed it again. There was nothing he could do now; his boyfriend would likely burst into tears or flames at even the thought of returning it. Neither option looked appealing to the Lithuanian boy.

Arthur watched on with a small smirk. _They're cute together. But I don't think I could ever date another guy, even if I am technically a girl._

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Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria…

"_Sacre Bleu_! Zat sneak Amérique has made an opportunity for 'imself already?" Francis almost growled in protest. Matthew backed away a little from the table at his fury, hating to be the deliverer of bad news.

"Y-yeah. He asked their Child Studies teacher aboot their new project, which is raising a child, and made sure he sat with Alice so that they'd be paired off." he explained.

"'ow despicable." The older blonde almost spat in disgust, which made Gilbert laugh mockingly.

"You'd do the same thing, Franny." he sneered, pulling Matthew back to sit on his lap, much to the young Canadian's surprise.

"Do what? What's happening now, _amigos_?" Antonio looked up from his tacos to find his best friends bickering. As usual.

"Alfred 'as moved in already, meaning he 'as already arranged a way to spend time with ze Queen." France repeated.

The Spaniard blinked sleepily. "How do you know that, exactly..?"

"_Mon petit _cousinMathieu told me. He is Alfred's twin brother, but is loyal to me, as we lived together when he was younger." Francis smiled a little of the mention of the blonde, then scowled again as he saw Gilbert squeezing the life out of him.

Antonio stared at Gilbert's lap for a while, squinting and turning his head to the side until… "Oh, there you are Matthew. I didn't see you there. _Los__ siento__. __Hola__._"

Matthew sighed, but nodded in greeting back. He was used to being overlooked. (That's why it was so weird to him that Gilbert kept harassing him.)

"Well, I guess we'll just have to catch up." Antonio shrugged, turning his attention back to his half eaten pile of tacos (but not before winking at a certain Italian at the next table over, who turned a bright red and swore loudly).

Francis hmmphed. His lesson with Alice was next. He only hoped that the British girl was as volatile to the flames of passion as hydrogen was to regular flames.

Xx)(:-:)(xX

The bell rang and Arthur escaped from his friends to his next lesson, Chemistry. It wasn't a lesson he particularly liked, but it was better than most; his lab partner was actually someone he enjoyed being around for long periods of time: an Asian boy named Kaoru from Hong Kong. Thanks to their joint efforts in relation to various write-ups and experiments, the two were set to gain an A+ for the semester and a substantial amount of points for their chosen University courses.

Humming the slightly cheery tune of 'London Bridge', Arthur walked into the room, books under one arm, and sat at the bench he shared with Kaoru, straightening his skirt as he did. The teacher was usually a little late, so the teens usually took the first few minutes of class to flirt, catch up on the latest gossip or – rarely – prepare for the lesson.

Noticing the sudden British aura in the room, Francis looked over at the object of his affections (one of the many) and winked, resulting in an exaggerated eye roll and a toss of blonde ponytails. Excusing himself from his conversation, the French boy made his way to where Alice was, sitting himself next to her.

"Try to flip my skirt again and I'll make you regret it, frog-eater." Arthur warned, crossing his arms.

"Ohononononon~ Do I seem like ze type of man to so such a thing?" Francis laughed somewhat guiltily. In truth, he had flipped her skirt too many times to remember, but the victim hadn't noticed most of them. "Anyway, I must regrettably tell you zat your little lab friend is not at school today; 'e 'as the most terrible stomach bug. 'is brother told me zis morning."

A look of deep disappointment crossed over Arthur's face. _Blast! We were almost finished with our project. It's not like its due urgently, but it's better to get these things done..._

Noticing said look, Francis smiled charmingly. "If you need any help on your work-"

"Not happening. No way." Arthur interrupted him, his voice flat and unwavering. The blonde feigned a hurt look, which much to his dismay had no effect, as the Brit simply ignored him and turned to write something in a notebook. With a sigh, the Frenchie resigned himself to the Edward Cullen approach: sit there and stare unblinkingly (usually employed best while the victim was sleeping, but desperate times called for desperate measures). Feeling the piercing stare, Arthur stiffened and attempted to ignore the pervert.

"Staaaaaare~! Ohononon!" _Why is he commentating his action! Ugh! And he's probably not going to move… _Arthur snuck a peek at his seatmate out of the corner off his eye, and then quickly flicked his eyes downward as the boy, catching the fleeting glance, winked at him suggestively. _Let's make that definitely not going to move. Dear Lord, why is today full of annoying gits who want to sit next to me..? _

"Staaaaaare~! You can't ignore me forever, _Angleterre_!"

_Hah. Care to make a bet on that?_

Xx)(:-:)(xX

When Arthur got home that night, he wasn't surprised that his dad wasn't home yet. Ever since the passing of his Mumsy, the head man of the Kirkland family had thrown himself into his work, using it as a distraction from reality. Usually Jack and Kylie would come around and either cook dinner, bring dinner, or invite Arthur and Peter over for dinner, but tonight they had other plans, something that didn't happen very often. Still, Arthur was glad for the quiet; today had been an incessant stream of noise, thanks to the people who suddenly decided they wanted to sit next to him.

"Arthur! Dylan's here to cook dinner! Because you can't cook to save your life!" Peter yelled loudly as to be heard over the sound of the movie he was watching. Upstairs, Arthur paused in his studying to clench his fists over his brother's slight towards his cooking_. So much for that lovely silence._

"And he wants you to come downstairs because he hasn't seen you for ages and he loves you!" Another call followed the first, this one louder. Rolling his emerald eyes, the cross-dresser slid off his bed and stood up, running a hand through his manageable blonde locks and checking his appearance in the mirror. _Soccer shirt, baggy shorts, and mismatched socks… Boy clothes. Yes. I look fine._

Walking calmly down the stairs as to not look over eager, Arthur didn't restrain his smile as his older brother Dylan pulled him into a gentle hug.

"How's being Alice?" the man asked meekly. Everything about Dylan Kirkland was soft, quiet and peaceful, and his Welsh accent - picked up from years on exchange and holidays in Wales - only aided that gentleness. That was why Arthur and Peter loved him so much; he didn't mock them, or lock them in the closet (or worse, outside) when a thunderstorm was raging, or (in Arthur's case) judge them or treat them differently even though they were choosing to spend most of their time as the opposite gender.

"It's alright, I guess. What's for dinner?" Arthur asked, suppressing a tinge of excitement. Dylan _always _made lamb dishes, which were his favourite.

"I want kebabs! Then we can play swords with the skewers!" Peter pleaded, grabbing Dylan's arm and bouncing up and down.

The Welsh man smiled. "Lamb kebabs it is, then."

Before long, the smell of roasted meat soon filled the house, and dinner was soon placed on the table. It was the things like this that made Arthur the happiest: being with the people he loved and good food. The little things.

Xx)(:-:)(xX

_For Chelseaj500 - PruCan :)_

Matthew was lonely. You see, he was a goldfish. A cute (although rather plain) little finned creature, which – unlike what people seemed to think- had a great memory. A great memory of solitude, as he was the only one in his great big tank.

And that was why he had almost died of excitement when his owner decided to buy another fish.

One hour passed. Then two. Then three. Matthew was ready to go to sleep and wait until morning when he heard a faint splash. Shaking off his sleepiness, the dull-gold fish turned around to see his new companion, only to have the fright of his life.

Facing him was a kind of fish Matthew had never seen before. A long white body, translucent fins, red eyes and sharp teeth in a smirk.

"Hey. I'm Gilbert. I'm sure we're gonna be great friends~" the strange fish purred, running a fin over Matthew's scaled body.

Matthew's little fishy heart beat faster.

Well. At least he wouldn't be lonely anymore.

Xx)(:-:)(xX

A/N: I officially claim myself to be the creator of Fish!character stories. Copyrighted, intellectual property, etc. Please don't steal, my lovelies.

Aww, thanks for all the concern, guys (^_^) I'm getting better! A little sniffly, and still a little croaky, but that'll hopefully clear up in a few days.

So! So! I bet you're wondering what that short little story thingy up there was. Well. You know how when you review, sometimes the author replies and thanks you for your review (and then you suddenly feel bad the next time you're about to skip reviewing it?)? Instead of that, I'm going to write a little snippet of a pairing you've voted/suggested/mentioned in your review! Does that sound okay? And thank you so much for all your reviews! (I grinned like a loon :D) Also, what do you guys think so far? This is my first story in the Hetalia fandom… So am I doing alright? Is it funny? Terrible?

And about votes: votes will be continued to be tallied up until a set date that I will announce later (there's an event coming that will signify the end of the game, but I'm not sure how many chapters away that is; winning someone's heart doesn't happen instantly). So keep voting, because if your pairing slips back..! Then so will that person's chance at love!

Also, I only put this under the 'England/Britain & America' section because I picked America randomly from the contestants. It's now just under England/Britain.

Feliks is Poland and Toris is Lithuania (my new fave pairing!)

Thanks for all the explanations about pairing names, guys! SpUk… Yeah. It sounds like spunk to me. Or Sputnik. AsaKiku… How does Arthur become Asa? *shakes head in confusion*

Voting Tally:

America/England: 7

Japan/England: 1

Russia/England: 1

Spain/England: 3

France/England: 2

China/England: 0

Russia/China: 4

Spain/Romano: 5

Prussia/Canada: 6

France/Canada: 2

France/Seychelles: 2

Spain/Prussia: 1

France/Spain: 1

Russia/America: 1

(I put a vote for every pairing talked about in a positive manner. Is that alright?) Please review and vote, my lovelies!

P.S: No, you Poms will not beat us! :D How's that Diamond Jubilee going? How are those Coronation Chicken sandwiches?


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